Panic attacks are sudden feelings of overwhelming fear.
They often occur without warning and sometimes without any clear cause.
Symptoms can include a racing heartbeat, flushes or chills, dreamlike sensations, a fear of dying or losing control, difficulty breathing, visible shaking or tremors, dizziness and intense fear.
While these are common symptoms of a panic attack, it is important to realize that there are other serious medical conditions with similar symptoms.
If in doubt, get medical help immediately.
Panic or anxiety attacks reach a peak very quickly and will slowly diminish over the next 30 minutes or so.
Repeated panic attacks without apparent cause may be an indication of panic disorder, a medical condition, but many panic attacks are associated with phobias.
For example, those with a phobia to snakes may suffer the symptoms of a panic attack if they see a snake, even behind glass in a zoo.
Others may experience problems during certain social situations.
Serious panic attacks are best treated by a doctor but here are seven tips to help you cope without prescription drugs: 1.
Stay grounded in the present time.
Think about what is happening now, not what might happen.
If you find this difficult, give your self a simple mental task such as reciting multiplication tables or counting backwards from 100.
2.
Realize that you feelings of panic are just that - feelings.
Nothing bad is actually happening to you.
3.
Do not fight the feeling, or tell them to go away.
Just accept they are there and try and observe them as a third party.
Watch them fade away.
You realize that they are just a greatly exaggerated response by your body to minor stresses of everyday life.
4.
Measure your stress.
Give it a ranking from one to ten.
Notice how the measurements change over time.
It will fade away, just like the previous times.
5.
Plan a diversion for your next attack.
Slap yourself on your cheek, splash cold water on your face, or ping a rubber band on your wrist.
6.
Breath normally.
It's easy to neglect correct breathing during an attack.
Hyperventilating will only make the feelings worse.
7.
Feel good about yourself.
You will survive and learn to cope with panic and anxiety attacks.
It really does get easier over time.